TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT
He handed it to me and I took the roll of it up to
where Eddy was at the wheel and put on the bin-
nacle light. I looked at it carefully. It looked all
right to me and I turned off the light* Eddy was
trembling.
Tour yourself one,3 I said. I saw him reach for
the bottle and tip it up.
I went back to the stern.
'All right/ I said. 'Let six come on board/
Mr. Sing and the Cuban that sculled were having
a job holding their boat from knocking in what little
swell there was. I heard Mr. Sing say something in
Chink and all the Chinks in the boat started to
climb on to the stern.
'One at a time/ I said.
He said something again, and then one after
another six Chinks came over the stern. They
were all lengths and sizes.
'Show they forward/ I said to Eddy.
'Right this way, gentlemen/ said Eddy. By God
I knew he had taken a big one.
'Lock the cabin/ I said, when they were all in.
Tes, sir/ said Eddy.
'I will return with the others/ said Mr, Sing*
'O.K./ I told him.
I pushed them clear and the boy with him started
sculling off,
'Listen/ I said to Eddy. 'You lay off that bottle*
You're brave enough now.'
'O.K., chief/ said Eddy.
56